Release courtesy the governor’s office and the Department of Labor and Training. On Tuesday, April 30, Governor Lincoln D. Chafee will join Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training Director Charles J. Fogarty and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit for a tour of two state recreational areas hit hard by Tropical Storm Sandy and currently undergoing restoration. A National Emergency Grant is financing short-term, full-time employment for site workers, whose duties include moving beach sand, removing storm debris and improving campgrounds. To be eligible …

Release courtesy RIEMA. Governor Lincoln Chafee announced Friday that President Obama has approved Rhode Island’s request for a disaster declaration and for public assistance for all five counties in relation to the blizzard. In addition, snow removal was approved for Kent, Providence, and Washington counties. This designation for public assistance means that eligible municipalities, state agencies and non-profits can apply for assistance in repairing storm-damaged buildings or infrastructure or for projects to mitigate effects for future damage from similar storms. The designation for snow …

Because of icy and windy conditions, as of 5:30 a.m. Friday both the Prout School and South Kingstown public schools have delayed the start of classes today by one hour. Several other South County high schools – Chariho and Westerly – have also delayed by an hour. The Compass School is also delayed by an hour. Narragansett has not announced any delays as of 5:45 a.m. If there is a delay announced, we will do our best to update this article quickly. At least according to the Rhode Island Broadcasters Network, there are no other cancellations or delays of note. There are no local parking bans, …

As you read this, it might be snowing outside… But it might not be. Weather is ridiculously tricky like that. According to the National Weather Service, which last updated at about 9:20 p.m. Wednesday, a winter weather advisory is in effect from 7 a.m. Thursday to 1 p.m. Friday. The heaviest snowfall is expected from Thursday evening to Friday morning. That is yet another postponement of the nor’easter, originally forecast for Wednesday night, then Thursday morning. Wondering why there is so much uncertainty with this storm? Fred Campagna of Right Weather had a great post explaining why. For …

The forecast for a quick developing nor’easter continues to change, as the National Weather Service has published a minor change in the timing of the storm. The storm is now projected to start in the Narragansett and South Kingstown area around 1 a.m. Thursday. On Tuesday afternoon, the storm was expected to start in Rhode Island around Wednesday night. Snow accumulations are expected to be around four to eight inches in most of Rhode Island. Sustained winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour are forecasted, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour. Travel is expected to be most difficult on Thursday night…

Forecasters are keeping their eyes on yet another storm system that may drop more snow on the region. According to officials at the National Weather Service and Accuweather, a storm system is heading toward the East Coast and could shift north, impacting Rhode Island Wednesday night into Friday. Initial predictions are uncertain, but forecasters say the storm may bring heavy snowfall and high winds, especially Thursday night. Accuweather is projecting anywhere between 3 to 6 inches for Rhode Island as of Tuesday afternoon. The mixture of snow could be heavy and wet, combining with high winds…

Thanks to a downward projection in the snow forecast, most of Narragansett is unlikely to see much accumulation, and most of Rhode Island is now only projected to get one to three inches of snow from a storm on Saturday night. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather alert for the weekend as a wintry mix makes its way toward the region. But how much snow is expected to get depends on how warm the temperatures remain. Forecasts vary, but most expect just a couple inches in the area. ABC6 is predicting 1 to 3 inches; WPRI 12 predicts 1 to 4 inches and NBC 10 estimates "a few …

Hey, remember how it was kind of warm this week at times and a bunch of the snow melted? I hope you enjoyed that brief respite. Snow is in the forecast again for this weekend, and as a result, the National Weather Service has released a hazardous weather outlook. The latest storm is still a few days out, projected to hit mostly on Saturday night into Sunday. Initial projections have the storm creating about six to 10 inches of heavy, wet snow, with lower totals near the coast. Wind gusts could reach up to 46 miles per hour, and there could be scattered power outages. The storm might also …

Thanks to an increase in the snow forecast for Saturday night, a winter storm warning is now in effect until 7 p.m. Sunday. The National Weather Service released the warning at about 4:36 p.m. Snow accumulation totals have steadily ticked up the past few days, and now sit at four to eight inches, although the totals could be less if you’re on the water. Winds are expected to range from 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts up to 45 miles per hour. Visibility is also expected to be poor, down to about half a mile. As a result, Narragansett has a parking ban in effect from 10 p.m. Saturday to 5 p…

5 a.m. – Here are your storm-related updates for Tuesday! As we mentioned yesterday, Prout and South Kingstown have the day off, while URI has a delay that cancels some early courses. The Bradley School is also closed, along with Monsignor Clarke. Narragansett, Charlestown, Westerly and North Kingstown are all in session, along with all of the local and not-so-local colleges. For the full list of closures, click here. NOTE ABOUT THE PREVIOUS ENTRY: Because I do need to sleep at some point, the info is current as of 5 a.m. However, districts have cancelled the morning of during this storm …

5:30 p.m. – The University of Rhode Island just released the following statement via its Facebook account: DELAYED START: The University plans to hold classes, beginning at 9:30 am on Tuesday, February 12. Crews will continue to work on clearing sidewalks and parking lots throughout the evening. We recognize that campus conditions may not be ideal. Allow extra time to get to class or work on schedule, be cautious, and wear appropriate shoes. Carpool if possible to help reduce the number of vehicles on campus, and be prepared to use the shuttle system to travel from outer parking lots. The …

6 a.m. – Hey folks, as the dek for this story implies, I really hope this is the last day of storm coverage that I’ll have to do. Right at the top of this, I’d like to thank many of you for your kind words about our coverage – They’re definitely appreciated, and in return, I thank you for the uploads to our photo gallery! However, before I turn completely into Sally Field, let’s get on to the news stuff. As usual, for a full list of cancellations and delays in other towns, click here for the RI Broadcasters Network list. Significant rain is in the forecast today! While this will help with …

Bill Greene of Somerset was in bed watching TV at around 9 p.m. last night when he heard a loud snap and suddenly a large tree fell on the bedroom roof, crashing through. 

7:55 p.m. – Here is our last planned major update, unless I magically get power back in my apartment before Monday… RIPTA buses will be back in service on Monday, although obviously, some stops might be unavailable because of heavy snow. Chariho, East Greenwich and Westerly have also cancelled classes, making it a clean sweep for local high schools for Monday, I believe. The Compass School in Wakefield is also closed, as are Salve Regina and Rhode Island College – I forgot to mention them earlier. I think the only place still holding classes is Brown – how Ivy of them! The CANE Child …

4:51 p.m. – Sure enough, my timing is impeccable – Less that five minutes after I posted, Narragansett has also cancelled school. The other districts – Chariho, Westerly, East Greenwich – are still up in the air. 4:45 p.m. – As of Sunday afternoon, classes have been cancelled for Monday for the South Kingstown School District, the University of Rhode Island and the Prout School. For the full list, check out the web site of the RIBA Cancellation System here. The Bradley School is also closed, along with Bishop Hendrickn, La Salle, Monsignor Clarke and several other local colleges – Johnson and…

10:35 p.m. – One last update for tonight: National Grid has finally put estimated restoration times up, but you’re probably not going to like them… For all of Washington County, the restoration time is 11:45 p.m. Monday. While crews are working to get people up before then, according to National Grid officials, that’s the earliest that they can guarantee that everyone will have power back. As a reminder, if you’re looking for a place to stay warm, South Kingstown High School is serving as a warming shelter. Local YMCAs are also open to recharge power, but Broad Rock is closed still – The …

According to National Grid’s online outage map, about 26,744 customers are without power in Washington County, and 41,101 customers statewide are affected. The hardest hit areas are Charlestown and Narragansett, where more than 80 percent of customers are without power. About a third of the homes in South Kingstown are without power. Initially, restoration times ranging from 8:30 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday were given for Washington County. However, because of the high winds and snowdrifts from the blizzard, crews are unable to work right now, and all estimated restoration times have been …

6:20 p.m. – Evening update time. Unless some more cancellations are announced, or there is some emergency news to share, this will most likely be our last snow-related update until tomorrow morning. According to National Grid, a large section of Wakefield and Tuckertown is without power – an estimated 1,630 customers as of 5:16 p.m. The restoration time is put at 7:30 p.m. About 820 customers are also effected on and near Great Island and Galilee in Narragansett, with a restoration time of 7:30 p.m. as well. (Reminder: Restoration times are only ESTIMATES.) The South County YMCA is closed …

As of 6 a.m. Friday, the wind is already howling, and snow projections for Nemo the Blizzard have been upped by the National Weather Service to a range of 24 to 32 inches for almost all of Rhode Island. But hey, if you’re on Block Island, don’t worry! I mean, you’re only getting 18 to 24 inches of snow. Likewise, some portions of Cape Cod are only projected for four to 10 inches, which is great news for the Kennedys, I guess. The NWS report can be found here – It was last updated at 4:39 a.m. Friday. The blizzard warning is in effect until 1 p.m. Saturday, although snow could keep falling …

Editor’s Note: As of 6:40 p.m., the Narragansett, Westerly and Chariho school districts are also closed Friday, making it pretty much a clean sweep statewide, except for the portfolio presentations at South Kingstown High School. All classes at the University of Rhode Island are cancelled for Friday and Saturday, as well as the “Big Chill” weekend events. Classes are also cancelled for Prout for Friday. In addition, all of the other major Rhode Island colleges and universities – RIC, Brown, Johnson and Wales, RISD – have cancelled classes. For the full list for these institutions and others, …